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Tag: Nancy Motes

  • Julia Roberts Attends Sister’s Memorial Service

    On Saturday, May 3, Julia Roberts said one final goodbye to her half-sister Nancy Motes.

    Roberts flew to her hometown of Smyrna, Georgia to attend the nearly two-hour memorial service, at the New Smyrna Cemetery, for her sister, who took her own life back in February.

    On February 9, Motes, who was only 37-years-old and a previous production assistant on Glee, was found dead in her home from an apparent drug overdose. A suicide letter was later discovered at the scene that made reference to the estrangement between Motes and her family.

    Although Roberts and Motes did not have the best relationship, Roberts revealed, during an interview with WSJ magazine in March, that she is still trying hard to cope with her sister’s death.

    “It’s just heartbreak. It’s only been 20 days,” Roberts said, with tears in her eyes. “There aren’t words to explain what any of us have been through in these last 20 days. It’s hour by hour some days, but you just keep looking ahead.”

    “You don’t want anything bad to happen to anyone, but there are so many tragic, painful, inexplicable things in the world. But [as with] any situation of challenge and despair, we must find a way, as a family,” she continued. “It’s so hard to formulate a sentence about it outside the weepy huddle of my family.”

    During the memorial service, surrounded by Motes’ close friends and family members, Roberts gave a brief speech about her sister. “No one was really expecting it, but Julia gave a little speech at one point during the ceremony,” a source told the Daily Mail. “She kept it brief, but it was absolutely heartfelt and very moving. It showed just how much Nancy meant to her and was really fitting.”

    There was one person missing from the service, however. Motes fiancé John Dilbeck revealed, via Twitter, that he was not invited to the intimate ceremony. “To my disappointment, I was not invited to attend the memorial services in Georgia, for my fiance #NancyMotes, Saturday May 3rd 2014Travesty,” Dilbeck tweeted.

    On Monday, Dilbeck talked to the New York Daily News, and described that lack of an invitation as devastating. “It’s devastating,” Dilbeck said. “I found out Sunday that they had the funeral service without me. They did it so there was no possible way I could attend. I believe that with all my heart. I should be allowed to pay my respects. She was the love of my life, and this would have been our wedding month. May 17 was our wedding date. I feel so empty, it’s like I have no more tears left to cry.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Julia Roberts: First Appearance Since Sister’s Death

    Julia Roberts was at the Oscars on Sunday, marking her first public appearance since her sister’s suicide less than a month ago. Nancy Motes died February 9th. A suicide note and drugs–both prescription and non-prescription–were found at the scene.

    Roberts looked lovely–sporting both Givenchy and Bulgari. The actress was upbeat and even funny at times despite her recent loss–as well as the fact that she didn’t win an Oscar for her role in August: Osage County. She sat directly behind lead actress Meryl Streep, who also lost out at the Academy Awards, and occasionally tapped her costar on the shoulder when a clip from the film was played.

    Julia even appeared in Ellen DeGeneres’s now famous Twitter photo taken during the Oscars, using her height to her advantage in order to appear in the back of the photo frame.

    Chatting with the media during the pre-Oscars show, Julia Roberts recalled one of the first times she appeared at the Academy Awards.

    “I presented one year, I wore a deeply unfortunate palette,” she said.

    Julia Roberts’s sister was a production assistant who worked in Hollywood. Her family issued a public statement following her untimely death.

    “It is with deep sadness that the family of Nancy Motes…confirms that she was found dead in Los Angeles yesterday of an apparent drug overdose,” the statement read.

    Lots of rumors have circulated about the relationship between Motes and Roberts, with many of them saying Nancy Motes was jealous of her sister’s fame. She was noted for having left several cryptic messages and angry tweets about and directed at her family prior to her death. Nancy’s fiance, John Dilbeck, issued his own statement following her death, explaining his version of her tweets and messages.

    “We loved her dearly and will miss her always. Please know that the words she wrote in online venues were those of someone in pain who loved her family and longed for a closer bond with them.”

    It’s a bit uncertain if his statement was meant to ease the hearts and minds of her grieving family or to sink the knife in a bit deeper.

    Julia Roberts cancelled all of her public appearances when Nancy Motes died. The Oscars is the first she is known to have attended since the tragedy.

    Image via YouTube

  • Julia Roberts’ Half-Sister Nancy Motes Dies From Drug Overdose

    The news is not making huge headlines due to the fact that she was not an actress like her half-sister, but Julia Roberts’ family suffered a loss over the weekend when her half-sister was found dead.

    Nancy Motes, the half-sister of Julia Roberts, died of an apparent drug overdose over the weekend. Motes was 47-years-old when she died, and her body was discovered on Sunday, February 9th. She was the youngest sibling of Julia and their older brother, actor Eric Roberts.

    Their family released a statement that read “It is with deep sadness that the family of Nancy Motes…confirms that she was found dead in Los Angeles yesterday of an apparent drug overdose. The family is both shocked and devastated.”

    She was discovered in the bathtub of a Los Angeles home where she had been pet sitting, and there was evidence of drug use and an apparent suicide. For a long time, Motes had struggled with being overweight, and she also had a difficult relationship with Julia Roberts, saying last year that it was “a work in progress.”

    With an update on her death, Lieutenant Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner said “There were prescription and non-prescription drugs found at the scene. Cannot tell you what those drugs were. The role the drugs may or may not have played is not yet known. The investigator at the scene listed at this point that he is going with suicide and we are waiting for the doctor to finish the examination.”

    Julia Roberts was most recently seen in the ensemble drama August: Osage County, and was forced to cancel public appearances where she was set to promote the film following the news of Nancy Motes’ death. Roberts is nominated for an Oscar for her role in the film, in addition to Meryl Streep, who plays her mother in the dysfunctional family film.

    The two sisters were estranged in their adulthood, and Motes claimed that Julia Roberts had consistently teased her about her weight when she was growing up, and had made her feel bad about herself for years.

    Motes once weighed nearly 300 pounds before undergoing gastric bypass surgery in June 2010. She was also hoping that her physical transformation may have been able to repair her relationship with Julia Roberts.

    Nancy Motes was a native of Georgia, and the daughter of Julia Roberts’ mother, Betty Lou, and stepfather, Michael Motes.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Julia Roberts: Sister Dies of Drug Overdose

    Julia Roberts–star of the Academy Award nominated film August: Osage County–endured a family tragedy this weekend. Her half-sister, Nancy Motes, was found dead of a drug overdose. The family announced the devastating news in a statement to People magazine on Monday afternoon.

    “It is with deep sadness that the family of Nancy Motes … confirms that she was found dead in Los Angeles yesterday of an apparent drug overdose,” the statement reads. “There is no official report from the Coroner’s office yet. The family is both shocked and devastated.”

    Nancy Motes was 37 years old, and the youngest sister of Julia and Eric Roberts and Lisa Roberts Gillan. Julia Roberts is 46. During an interview about a year ago, Motes described her relationship with her older sister as “a work in progress.” It was no secret that she and Julia Roberts were estranged.

    Regardless of the status of one’s present relationship with a sibling, it’s never easy to learn that one has died tragically. It will no doubt be a horrific blow to Julia Roberts–as well as to the rest of her family, as they deal with this sudden loss.

    Julia Roberts’ mother Betty Lou was divorced from her dad back in 1972 and shortly thereafter she married Michael Motes–known for his abusive ways and penchant for partying. He was said to be drunk more than he ever was sober. She had one child with Motes–Nancy Motes–in 1976 before divorcing him. She one said marrying Motes was the “biggest mistake of her life.”

    Prayers will no doubt be said for the entire Roberts/Motes family by people from around the world as news of the death of Julia Roberts’ half sister Nancy Motes circulates. More information will be reported in the news as soon as it is available.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons